Mismatched Uniforms

White at home. Gray on the road. You don’t mix them. You’ll never see a Big League team wear the white home jersey with the gray road pants, or vice versa. They just don’t go together.

Proverbs 26:1–“Like snow in summer and like rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.”

Snow during the summer time would be really odd, just like the combination of white and gray in the uniform.

Rain during harvest would be frustrating, just like trying to figure out who was the home team with mismatched uniforms.

In the same way, both odd and frustrating, giving honor and recognition to a foolish person just doesn’t fit.

Here are two things to remember to avoid making that mistake:

Don’t ignore what you don’t want repeated. No, foolish behavior doesn’t just go away on its own. If players aren’t motivated, don’t respect the coaches, refuse to get with the program, ignoring them isn’t going to make them go away. It will actually feed all those negative behaviors. In a sense, it gives them honor because they are allowed to continue.

Reward what you want repeated. Catch people doing the right thing and reward it. Call it out, make sure others know that’s what is desired, do something to recognize the behavior that creates the culture you desire in your home, on your team, among your friends, and so on.

We wouldn’t wear white with gray, so let’s not give honor to foolishness, either.

Lord Jesus, help me create the kind of culture you would be pleased with, one that honors you. Amen.